Monday, July 28, 2014

The summer heat usually doesn't have an adverse effect on
fishing. In fact, it often results in good action.

A small snook caught fly fishing in the surf.

We switched out location somewhat, spending a majority of
our time in southern Tampa Bay.

First, however, we took a break and spent a week in
Michigan. Kathy and I rented a waterfront house on Diamond Lake near White
Cloud, Mich. The weather was wonderful, with lows in the 50 and highs in the
70s.

Fishing was superb in the lake. I fly fished several
mornings and evenings and caught a variety of fish: largemouth bass, bluegill,
sunfish, yellow perch and crappie. I caught fish on poppers, Myakka Minnows
(yes, the Myakka Minnow works outside of Florida) and nymphs.

I spent several mornings on the nearby Muskegon River.
Following the advice I received from the staff at the Muskegon River Fly Shop
in Newaygo.

The author with a Tampa Bay topwater snook.

I'm not a very adept at cold-water trout, having spent a
majority of my life in Florida. But I'm not adverse to asking for guidance.

The folks at the fly shop set me up with a good selection of
flies and gave me a few locations to try.

I did pretty good, catching and releasing a good number of
rainbow trout and brown trout.

It was a much-needed elixir.

If you're ever in that neck of the woods, take time to visit
the Muskegon River Fly Shop, 8382 Mason Dr., Newaygo, Mich. Phone number is
(231) 652-5386.

On our last night in Michigan, we got to watch our beloved
Tampa Bay Rays beat the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. The Rays took three of
four on the road against the Tigers.

I was on the water the first morning after returning to
Florida. I launched on Tampa Bay and caught a variety of fish. I started out
before daylight, casting a Zara Super Spook Jr. in the backcountry. I caught
spotted seatrout, redfish and a number of snook.

Snook action has been the best bet in the backcountry. Most
of the fish have been 25 inches or less. However, there are some larger fish
around. I hooked a snook I estimated at 15 pounds, but lost it when the fish
wore through the 20-pound shock leader.

I found a couple of schools of redfish on successive days in
front of Joe Island. The first day, I caught and released three oversized reds
on topwater plugs before losing the school. I caught one red the second day.

In addition, I managed jack crevalle, mangrove snapper,
ladyfish and cobia along the sand bar in front of Joe Bay.

The real news is the shark action in Tampa Bay. There are
good numbers of blacktip, spinner and bull sharks in the bay.

Shark fishing from a kayak is a thrilling experience. We
stress safety and won't hesitate to cut the line if we sense any danger.

Most of the time, we encounter blacktip and spinner sharks
from 20 to 50 pounds. Every once in a while, we'll hook up a larger shark that
is more than we choose to handle.

Beach snook action really improved during July. I took Mike
Hodges of Tampa out twice and we encountered a number of fish.

Hodge has walked the beaches of Pinellas County on several
occasions without great results. He said there's "no comparison"
between the beaches of Sarasota County and those further north.

On the first outing, we combined for 12 snook. That's a
decent number, but not all that impressive. The highlight of the outing was a
hefty snook that ate Hodge's fly. As Hodge was trying to set the hook, the big
girl (we estimated her at more than 15
pounds) suddenly took off and broke the 20-pound leader.

We returned to the same spot a couple of days later and
didn't fare as well. We landed four of the 10 small snook we hooked.

For this activity, we use 7-weight fly rods, floating or
sinktip lines, 20-pound shock leader and D.T. Variation flies.

I anticipate very good snook action along the beaches in
August.

This is a sight-fishing endeavor and very exciting.

Night snook action also should be good around lighted docks.

We also spent a morning on the Braden River, casting poppers
and nymphs for bluegill. But the action was very slow. We caught and released
about a dozen panfish. Surprisingly, bass were not cooperative.

AUGUST FORECAST:
We look for increased redfish action on the flats of Sarasota Bay and Tampa
Bay. The oversized fish should start schooling up in preparation for their
annual spawning migration. The big schoolers will hit most anything cast their
way, including flies, spoons, jigs and topwater plugs. Spotted seatrout, jack
crevalle, ladyfish, bluefish, flounder and mangrove snapper should be plentiful
along the flats. Shark action should continue good around southern Tampa Bay
and at Fort DeSoto.

If you're worried about the heat, don't fret. We get out on
the water early and usually are finished by mid-day.

August fishing signals the start of excellent action. Please
feel free to give me a call or email me at your convenience.

I was fortunate enough to attend ICAST in Orlando. The show
is where all the associated fishing businesses unveil their new products for
the upcoming year. I worked the NuCanoe booth for a couple of days.

I was in the company NuCanoe owner Blake Young and Pro
Staffers Joe Mahler, Drei Stroman and Danny Barker.

If you get the chance to check out a NuCanoe, please do
yourself a favor. You can read out NuCane here: http://gibbysfishingblog.blogspot.com/2014/05/nucanoe-frontier-is-fly-fishers-dream.html.